The Francus family in the 19th and early 20th centuries : the history of a peasant family in Cieszyn Silesia

The article presents an analysis of the history of the Francus family, which settled in Gołowy, near Cieszyń, at the end of the 18th century. They can be seen as the representatives of the middle class among the local peasants. Stimulated by the political changes brought on by the 1861 constitutional reforms as well as through intermarriage with wealthy peasant families (the sieldaks), they became major social and national activists. The most well-known members of the Francus family include Jerzy (1839-1909), a social activist and amateur sculptor; his brother Andrzej (1841-1909), a social and national activist; and his son Franciszek (1870-1962), a teacher and a writer whose works include the popular play Wesele na wsi (A Country Wedding).